Air cooling system



Septfs, 1942. F P FQRMAN 2,295,462

AIR COOLING SYSTEM Filled Mann 15, 1959 l INVENTOR:

Z BY: o A

Patented Sept. 8, 1942 am cooLmG srs'rEM Frm r. roms, um; mana city, N. r. Appiiestion Maren 15,1939, serial No. 262,014

. f 6 Claims. The invention relates to refrigeration.- and particularly to cooling of living roomsl and buildings generally, for the purpose of maintaining temperatures lower than external atmospheric temperatures to increase the comfort of human beings or for other uses.

The invention aims to utilize to these ends the well known properties of water in evaporting and absorbing heat, and the expedient which has been known for increasing the rate of evaporation' by evacuation of gas and vapor from a chamber within which the water is exposed.

A special aim of the invention is to embody a system in which the desirable effects may be accomplished economically and by practical apparatus adapted for commercial embodiment in air conditioning umts or set up in rooms of a building without requiring special air duct construction necessarily.

An important object of the invention is to utilize a novel arrangement for circulating water and exhausting the evaporator chamber with a single pump, and to produce novel means for disposing of water vapor and introducing water to the evaporator.

A highly important aim of the invention is to present a system adapted for commercial embodiment with a minimum requirement for special manufactures, but enabling production of the necessary unit by utilization of standard mechanical apparatus and simple tank, case, and

duct fabrication conforming to familiar shop and trade'practices.

- Additional objects, advantages and features of i invention reside in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts involved in the embodiment of the invention, as will appear from the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a partly structural and partly diagrammatic view of the complete system.-

' Figure 2 is a detail of the motor unit.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the centrifugal dissipator and fore pump.

There is illustrated a system which may be embodied in various forms and may utilize various constructionsof motor, pumps, cooling coils, tanks, ejector, valves and the like, necessary thereto, but for purely exemplary purposes indicating particular structures in some parts where thought necessary to illustrate the function intended. Variations of the arrangements Y and structure of the system may be made in many ways without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

The system includes a cooling coil III, set up in a' iiue structure II, having an upper inlet for air to be cooled and a lower outlet I2 which may lead to any usual air circulating means, which may be thermalLv operative, or may include any usual motors and fans I3 for moving the air.

This coil receives cooling water through a pipe Il, leading from the bottom of an evaporator I5, which is a tank in which a proper body IB of water is maintained for the purposes of the 'I system, and in which a. vacuous condition is maintained so that a part of the water is evaporated; heat being thereby absorbed from the remainder of the water, which is collected in the lower part of the evaporator. The water passing the coil I0 is next carried through a coil I1 where it absorbs heat from a motor I8 driving a centrifugal or other circulating pump I8 and a centrifugal dissipator pump 2li. 'Ihe pump I9 draws the water from the coil I1 through pipe 2l, and propels it through pipe 22 to a pump 23 ofthe Venturi ejector type, where the water serves as the power medium for operating this pump in accordancewith the well known principles of such devices. The suction pipe 24 of the ejector leads from the top of the tank I5, and

the water being forced through the ,ejector by the pump exhausts the tank I5 of air and vapor, to a degree suitable for the purposes described.

The ejector is provided with a well 25 receiving the water from the Venturi passage, and from the well the water is removed by pipe 26 leading therefrom to the axial inlet 21 of the centrifugal pump 20 termed the dissipator, since in removing the vapor from the evaporator, this is the principal element for dissipating heat absorbed by the system.

The pump 20 consists of a suitable circular casing 28 having a tangential vapor exhaust port and conduit 29, and a rotor 30 mounted concentically therein on a driving shaft 3|, which is one shaft 3 I, and extended into the casing 28 through a suitable opening 35, which may be restricted in any usual way further'than shown if desired, so as to limit ingresso! air thereat. The hub is enlarged suitably within the casingand formed with a central chamber 36 from which a multiplicity of radial openings 31 are formed, in each f The rotor hub has a ilange 40 just within the v opening 35, to which ange a planiform circular disc 4I is secured in any suitable way, the periphery of which stops short of the balhes 39. On this disc a series of vanes 42 are xed, at present these consisting of planiform rectangular plates set perpendicular to the plane of the disc and alternated with the pipes 318. Each plate is formed with a base flange 43 set against the face of the disc and secured thereto in any approved manner.

At the outer side the hub is formed with an axial port 44 in which is fitted a` bearing ring 45, having an exteriorly rabbeted outer end, to'which 'is revolubly tted an interiorly rabbeted ring bearing 46, secured to the end of a Sylphon bellows 41 mounted on the terminal of the pipe 26 in such manner as to press the ring 46 to a seat on the hearing 45, and so form a continuous conduit with the pipe to the pipes 38. It is an advantage of the construction of the dissipator pump element that it will automatically accommod ate itself to a small or large flow of water from the ejector, as will be obvious. outlet of the pipe 26 and bellows; 41 a large opening 148 is formed through the adjacent wall of the casing 28, through which a certain amount of air is drawn and forced outward centrifugally by the vanes 42, so that a constant current is kept passing rapidly through the casing and out through the port 29. This aids in drawing out the vapor which may be entrained with the water, and also in maintaining a vacuous condition with certainty in case the water becomes low in the well 25, by a measure of ejector action operative in conjunction with the pipes 38, as well as clearing the vapor from the casing 28. The port 29 may be extended as a conduit to any suitable point of discharge externally of the space being refrigerated or cooled, or may be otherwise utilized. Clearing the vapor from the casing 28 minimizes the return of vapor to the evaporator I5 entrained with water. Also in case the vacuuous condition in the evaporator should cause water to be drawn thereinto more rapidly I control pipe 5I connected with the interior of the tank I5 above the liquid I6. This valve may be constructed to operate so as to close partly when an excessive low pressure is developed in the evaporator, and so restrict the ilow of water from the dissipator pump. Accumulation of water in the latter will retard it and the motor I8 with the pump I9, so that the ejector will not then produce so high a pressure. Increase of pressure excessively will permit wider opening of the valve 50 again, greater clearance of water from the fore pump, and pick-up in speed of the circulatory and dissipatory systems. A water supply pipe 52 'leads to the tank I6, where a oat valve 53 is provided operative to `admit additional water when the level of the water in the tank falls below a Around the desired minimum. The pipe 52 may be extended from a suitable source of supply, not shown. By this means any depletion of the supply by evaporation and loss through the port 29 of the dissipator will be replenished.

It is expected that the system will operate to maintain a pressure of approximately 0.178 pound persquare inch absolute, so that the external atmospheric pressure will be capable of causing water to ow rapidly from the dissipator through pipe 32 and produce an eicient spray and atomization of water at the jets of the pipe 33.

,A pan 54 is provided under the coil I0 to receive any water which may collect on and drip from the coil by condensation from the atmospheric air passing through the ilue I I and around the coil. From the bottom of this tank a drain pipe 55 is extended to the tank I5 into which it opens, so that the vacuous condition in the evaporator will draw the collected water from the pan. A oat valve 56 is provided at the inlet of the pipe 55 in the pan, operative to open by rising of the iioat to a predetermined moderate high level, so that water will then be drawn from the pan. This will insure retention of suilicient water in the pan to seal the inlet of the pipe 55.

Utilization of the water condensed on the cooling coil I0 is of course advantageous in that it will be cooler than city service water in summer when apparatus of this kind will be most used.

Water being supplied to the tank I5 as required, operation of the motor I8 will cause'the pump I9 to draw water through the two coils from the tank I5 and propel it through the ejector pump from whence it may drain to the intake ot the dissipator pump 20. Here, passing through the hub into the pipes 38, it is thrown into the casing 28'and collected in the lower part of the latter, from whence it is drawn through pipe 32 to chamber I5, principally by suction in the chamber. Here it is sprayed into the rarifled atmosdrawing fresh air in at the top, and this movement may be facilitated by fans or other circulating means at I3 if desired. The current for operation of the motor I8 is the only energy required to be supplied to the system.

It will be appreciated that the system shown -and described comprises virtually a continuous closed conduit in which the water circulates, this conduit comprising the chamber I5, pipe I4, coils I0 and I1, pump I9, pipe 22, ejector 23, pipe 28, casing 28 and pipe 32.

The casing 28 also serves in the lower part as a receiver of water, the pressure over which is determined by the effect of the vanes 42, which establish a partial vacuum thereover. The dissipator pump including the pipes 38 and vanes may be said to constitute a means to separate gas from liquid, and the pump I9 may be broadly termed a liquid propulsion means. The pan 54 is essentially a collector of the water of condensation precipitated on the coil III, and may take various other forms.

The valve'50 may be said to be a throttle device, since it does not close in normal operati/on.

The edges of the casing 28 around the openings 35 and I8 are formed with inturned and returned anges 51, by which water running down the sides of the casing is prevented from escaping at these openings.

' If desired an overflow valve 58 may beprovided on the pipe 32 between the valve 51| and the dissipator pump to vent any excess water when the valve 50 is throttled, so that water will not accumulate objectionably in the lower part of the casing 28, which .constitutes areservoir. This valve will contribute to a vcontinuous ushing of the system. With this arrangement, in case o development of an excessively high vacuum in the chamber l5, the back pressure operative then on the pump 20, ejector,

and pump i9, will eii'ect a compensation, as will be understood.

It will be appreciated thatv the principal evap oration of water in the chamber l will occur in the sprays from the pipe 33, and that this will vaporize only a small part of the body of spray, the evaporated water immediately absorbing heat from the remainder of the spray, as well as from the walls of the chamber I5 and surface of the liquid body -IB in the lower part of the chamber. This body is thus capable of absorbing heat from the atmosphere when circulated through the coil l0. The heat absorbed in the chamber I5, and the water vapor, are then simply rejected into thegexternal atmosphere by discharge from the exhaust 2 9 of the dissipator pump, the water from pump I9 being too warm to condense the vapor entrained in the ejector. A

The amount of water wasted by such a system is comparatively small, and owing to the cheapness of water is an insignificant item of expense.

For cooling a small house a unit adapted to carry.

about ve gallons on the chamber l5, isbelieved adequate, and with suchra unit it is believed that a supply of three gallons per hour will be suiiicient forboth evaporation and iiushing. An operating pressure from the p ump I9 .of 50 pounds per square inch will be adequate to develop the vacuum of 0.178 lb. and develop a temperature of 50 F. in the coil III. in summer in the temperate zone. "Much will depend,

of course on the eiiectiveness of the construction of the pumps.

v 1. A refrigeration system comprising a conduit forming a closed circuit for the flow 01a liquid including an evaporator chamber, means to supduit for receiving' a liquidfrom the lower part of the evaporator chamber, a. liquid propulsion means forming -part of the circuit (receiving a liquid from the coil and having a discharge conduit including an ejector device forming apart of the rst named conduit,the ejector device having a Vsuction port connected to the upper part of said evaporator chamber, a discharge port connected with the upper part of the evaporator chamber, and means included between the ejector discharge port and evaporator chamber to separate gas from liquid returned to the evaporator chamber from the elector.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which the liquid propulsion means is a liquid pump, said means to separate gas from 'liquid being a pump device having a gas discharge port opening from said conduit.

3. The structure of claim l in which the liquid i propulsion means is a liquid pump, said means to separate gas from liquid being a pump device having a gas discharge port opening from said conduit and; evaporator chamber, and a pressure responsive valve in the conduit between said evaporator chamber and the pump device, responsive to pressure in the evaporator chamb er, arranged toy throttle iiuid passing throughv the conduit in response to low pressure, and to relieve the conduit of such restriction in response to increased pressure.

4. The structure of claim l, in which the said liquid propulsion means consists of a rotary pump device including an operating shaft, and'said means to separate gas from liquid consists of al rotary liquid pump `having a liquid receiving chamber in receiving relation thereto and having an atmospheric port, said rotary liquid pump including als'o means to exhaust gas from said evaporator. b

5. The system of claim 1, in which the liquid referred to is water. a collector beneath said coil, a duct from the collector to the said evap- 6. The system ,of claim l, in which a motor is included to voperate said liquidv propulsion means,s and said coil includes a terminal part constructed. arranged and adapted to absorb heat' from the motor.

FRANK P. FOlftMAN.'v 

